Sight for fire-arms



(No Model.)

- W. LYMAN.

SIGHT FOR FIRE ARM$.

No. 366,121. Patented July 5, .1887

WITNESSES. l/VVEIVT I? $1? fizz/M41 mam 744% By (5 I Wad min/a4),-

ATTORNEY N. PETERS. PhuIa-Ulhugnphnr. Walhillgion. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM LYMAN, OF MIDDLEFIELD, CONNECTICUT.

SIGHT FOR FIRE-ARMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 366,121, dated July 5, 1887.

Application filed April 8, 1887. Serial No. 234,160. (No model.)

To all 2071 0772, it 711.0, concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM LYMAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the town of Middlefield, in the State of Connecticut, have invented new and useful Improvements in Sights for Fire-Arms, of which the following is a specification.

The object of'my invention is to provide an improved sight for shotguns which may be readily and firmly secured in position at the end of the barrel and inserted in the perforation in which the ordinary sight is screwed.

The invention consists in the novel construe tion of the sight and its tapering holder or socket and mode of securing the same, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of the muzzle end of an ordinary shotgun, showing the sight mounted; and Fig. 2 is an end view of the same. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectionthrough the barrels on the line of the sight. Figs. 4 and 5 are enlarged views of the sight; and Figs. 6 and 7 are correspondingly-enlarged views of the sightsocket 0r holder, and Fig. 8 is a modification ofFig. 7.

The ordinary method of securing sights in common shotguns is to drill a hole through the rib of the gun near the muzzle and screw therein a piece of metal havingits upper part rounded over for the sight; or, ifit is desired that the sight shall present a pure white surface instead of a metallic one,a piece of ivory, bone, or other white substance is mounted in the metal piece. To thusmount the white piece of soft material and secure the same rigidly and bring it down suffieiently close to the gun-rib has been found diflicult, it being required that the sight shall lie close to the barrel, remain firm under the rough jars to which a gun .is subjected, and also present a I attain this neat and compact appearance. object by providing a thin conical sleeve tapering upon its outer side and perforated throughout its length to receive the sight, the sight being forced into the sleeve and the sleeve driven into a conical seat formed in the rib of the gun.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the gun-barrels; B, the rib extending between the same on their upper side.

0 represents the'sight, and D is the tapering socket or holder. The bulb or upper part,

c, of the sight is nearly globular, and a cylindrieal stem, m, extends downward from the bulb somewhat longer than the distance through the rib of the gun. The stem at its lower part is made circular, but is enlarged toward the bulb in a conical form, 6, and is nearly as large as the bulb at the point of its junction therewith. This form provides ample strength of the sight and prevents the bulb from being broken off from the stem.

The socket D is a tapering sleeve or conical bushing, perforated axially throughout its length. The upper part, n',-of the perforation through the socket is shaped similarly to .the

enlarged part of the stem of the sight, and the upper edge of the socket is brought to aknifeedge by the intersection of the internal conical surface of g the socket with the periphery thereof. The lower part, 25, of the perforation is formed hexagonal, with its long diameter equal to the diameter of the lower part of the stem of the sight and having its sides perfectly parallel. The sight, which is of bone, ivory, or other similar white material, is warmed and driven firmly into the socket, and when in the heated state the lower cylindrical part of the stem compresses and conforms readily to the hexagonal surfaces in the socket, and is thus securely held therein and prevented both from turning or withdrawing from the socket. The sight is held principally by the straight part of the perforation through the shell, but there is also considerable gripping action on the conical upper part of the stem, the angle of its sides being such as to effect the wedging of the ivory into the conical seat.

In mounting the sight a conical perforation is made through the rib of the gun near the muzzle, and the tapering socket or shell, with its contained sight-piece,is inserted and driven tightly into the perforation, with its upper edge about flush or even with the surface of the rib, and securely wedged therein. In this position the shell will be scarcely visible, and such portion of the sight as is not exposed to view will be entirely within the walls of the rib or of the barrel,.if the gun is single-barreled, having the sight inserted centrally on top of the barrel.

Consequently as the socket.

or shell is driven into its conical seat it is compressed or forced in upon the sight-stem, thus pinching or sitting firmly thereon. AS

the socket compresses around and upon the stem of the sight, the stem is slightly reduced and made smaller than its lower end, which extends below the shell and retains its original size, and thus acts as a rivet-head to hold the sight in place. The head or bulb of the sight is brought down close to the metal of the gun and provides a more accurate sight-line, and is also not much exposed or liable to be struck by twigs and other objects. When the sighthead receives a blow, it is not liable to be broken offfrom the stem, as the bulb tapers down gradually to the stem and its conical part is surrounded by unyielding metal walls, while the weakest part of the stem is'brought well down into the metal walls and thoroughly protected.

- A conical sleeve or hollow tapering shell will pinch or sit. much tighter in a conical seat than a solid plug of corresponding size and taper. This action is due to the elasticity of the shell, which springs or closes in at the high points until its entire surface is in contact with the seat. This effect takes place in the socket of my improved sight as it is driven into the unyielding walls of the gun barrel or rib, and the shell thus is brought to a good bearing in its seat and is caused to pinch more firmly on the sight. The sight thus will not readily loose itself from the socket, and the socket will not fall out of its seat in the gun. The socket will hold the sight in place if the straight part of the perforation therein is or octagonal.

circular; but the sight will be held more firmly if the straight part of the perforation is made some other form .than circular, as hexagonal A preferred form of seat for the stem, however, is a circular perforation having a series of longitudinal teeth or splines, t, as shown in Fig. 8. I first drill the hole circular, then drift it to the shape required.

I contemplate securing my improved sight in the sight-seat of common shotguns, which usually consists of a threaded perforation receiving a metal pin or sight. By unscrewing the metal sight and reaming the perforation conical my sight may be readily and securely applied and driven into the seat thusformed.

I am aware that heretofore in the construction of sights for fire-arms a taper pin or plug of metal has been driven into a tapering seat in the gun-rib and having its upper end projecting for the sight, and that also a metal plug or base has been screwed into the gun and provided with an ivory sight mounted in the upper part of the plug-that is, in that part which projects above the barrel. The first of these devices is a common sight, not being intended to show a white head or sightpieces, and the second device is clumsy and has its head or bulb at too great a height above the barrel, thus being liable to become knocked off.

I am not aware that a sight has been provided wherein the ivory was held in a socket which was wholly sunk within the walls of the barrel or rib in a conical seat, whereby the sleeve was compressed upon the stem of' the sight and the sight'piece was brought down to the surface of the metal, and thus protected and securely heid.

I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. Thecombination, with a sight-piece of ivory, bone, or other white material, of a conical sleeve or tapering bushing which receives the sight and is inserted in a conical perforation or seat in the gun rib or barrel and adapted by its hollow form to firmly wedge or bind between the-surrounding metal walls and press with elastic tension thereon, whereby it is securely held in place and gripped upon the sight-piece, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with the sight-piece C, having the sight head 0 and stem m, of a conical sleeve or taperingbushing, D, perforated to receive the stem of the sight and having the straight portion of its bore provided with longitudinal ridges or grooves i for seeu ring the stem, and adapted to be inserted in a conical perforation or seat in the gun rib or barrel, and to firmly wedge and bind with elastic tension therein and compress upon the sightpiecc, substantially as specified.

\VILLIAM LYMAN.

\Vit nesses:

LYMAN A. MILLs, ISADIJLL O. COOK. 

